


The Magic of Life

by GooeyHeat



Category: Touhou Project
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25966015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GooeyHeat/pseuds/GooeyHeat
Summary: Narumi responds to an unusual invitation from a fellow magician.
Relationships: Alice Margatroid/Yatadera Narumi
Comments: 7
Kudos: 36





	The Magic of Life

The knocking on Narumi Yatadera's front door was so light that she didn't hear the first set of three knocks at all. The second set of three alerted her, but visitors to Narumi's home were so rare that she didn't fully recognize the sound's source. The third set finally pulled her from her seat.

"I'm coming!" she shouted as she ran to the door. "Sorry about that, I don't-" she began as she pulled the door open, only to be greeted with the usual view of the Forest of Magic, no visitor in sight. Expecting a prank from some local fairies, Narumi looked around cautiously until she heard a shuffling noise from her feet. At that point, she looked down and saw a small person – no, a doll – holding an envelope up towards her. Narumi bent down slowly and took the envelope from the doll, still confused. The envelope was unmarked. After a few seconds considering this, Narumi noticed that the doll seemed to be looking at her expectantly, so she opened the envelope. Inside was a letter, handwritten in neat cursive on stationary with a pattern of light flowers. She began to read:

Dear Miss Yatadera,

You have been cordially invited to visit the Margatroid household tomorrow at noon for tea, dessert, and discussion of magical research. You are not expected to bring anything other than yourself. If you are able to make it, please state as much in your response on the notepad. If you must reschedule or cancel, please make note and we can arrange for another time. I look forward to meeting you.

Sincerely,

Alice Margatroid

~This Letter Delivered By: London~

Narumi glanced back down at the doll (London, she supposed) and noticed that it had produced a notepad and paper. She reached down and took them, and then hesitated. Narumi hadn't met Alice before; all she knew about her before this letter was secondhand. She had heard rumors, such as "she curses people by nailing straw dolls to trees" and "her dolls are actually humans she's captured and turned into her slaves." Still, most youkai had stories like that about them; she hardly put that much stock into them. Narumi thought to the things Marisa had said about Alice; choice quotes include "kind of a shut-in" (Narumi supposed they had that much in common), "a bit of a stick in the mud," and, perhaps most importantly, "one of my best friends in the whole damn world." Her mind made up, Narumi wrote in the notepad and handed it back to the doll. The doll gave a small nod, turned around, and flew off into the forest.

Narumi watched it go, then closed her door and returned inside.

If nothing else, it would certainly be more interesting than a normal afternoon.

The next day, Narumi picked out a simple black jacket in order to combat the cool fall breeze. Donning her signature straw hat, she set out towards Alice's house. She had no trouble finding it; the magicians of the Forest of Magic all had a solid understanding of how to navigate the mystical countryside, as well as where most of their fellow practitioners lived. So it was only a few minutes later that Narumi found herself standing in front of the small, Western-style cottage in a clearing.

She took a breath, and then knocked on the door.

After a brief moment, the door opened. A quick glance showed that it, too, was operated by dolls. Narumi almost wondered if Alice herself was a doll until she saw her: golden hair, dress lined with lace, and a smile that was inviting as it was inscrutable.

Alice spoke first. "You must be Miss Yatadera. Please, do come in. Holland, Russia, France, and Orleans will take your hat, coat, and shoes."

Narumi looked around in slight amazement as a small fleet of dolls did, indeed, gently lift her jacket and hat and hang them up on a nearby hook. She followed Alice through a short entranceway and was brought to a table adorned with a lacy tablecloth and china table settings.

Alice gestured to the chair closest to Narumi. "Please, sit down. The cookies are still warm, and the tea shall be ready momentarily."

"Ah, thank you," Narumi said. She noticed a doll pull her chair out for her and wondered if Alice ever had to do anything with her own hands. This form of hospitality was unusual, but as she thought about it, she realized it wasn't unwelcome, and in its own way, was even a little charming.

As Narumi and Alice took their seats, a small squadron of dolls brought in a teapot and a basket covered with a cloth handkerchief. "Perfect timing," Alice said, in a manner that made Narumi think that Alice had somehow planned every aspect of their meeting down to the second. "Go ahead, help yourself," Alice went on, gesturing to the basket of cookies as the dolls poured tea into Alice and Narumi's cups.

Narumi reached over and grabbed a cookie, tentatively taking a bite. Her eyes lit up; it was warm, soft, and sweet. "This is delicious!" she said after swallowing. She took another bite as Alice began to respond.

"Good, good! I'm glad; I hadn't used this recipe before. I figured I'd make something autumn-themed. It's nothing special, really; the unique ingredients are just pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, hair, a bit of vanilla..."

Naurmi froze mid-chew. "Hair?" she spoke through chewed cookie.

"Yes, I need something extracted from the victim when I curse them, and hair is much easier to come by than fingernails. So easy, in fact, that I always end up with some left over, and since it loses its connection to the person after a short time, I end up using it in baking to get rid of the rest. Certainly better than throwing it away, and it adds some nice texture too, don't you think?"

Alice's expression had become cold, and she was looking Narumi directly in the eyes. Narumi sat in silence, trying to figure out the best way to look for a window she could fit through at the first opportunity without actually breaking eye contact.

"I'm kidding. That was a joke, Narumi."

It took a few seconds for the words to register in Narumi's head properly, but as soon as they did, she found herself in the unenviable position of trying to stifle a laugh with a mouthful of cookie. After managing to swallow what was in her mouth, she couldn't hold it in any longer, and she let out a loud laugh. Alice's lips curled into a smile, and she eventually started to chuckle herself.

"Goodness," Narumi began after catching her breath, "I'd heard Alice Margatroid called many things, but a comedian was not one of them."

"Thank you," said Alice. "I like to think that even a meticulous craftswoman like myself could be full of surprises."

"It's certainly very different from the common rumors about you," Narumi added, "though I get the feeling you're already aware of them."

"Very much so," Alice said, sighing. "Honestly, I may be a witch who lives alone in a house full of dolls who threw away her humanity in exchange for a near-unlimited lifespan and incredible amounts of dark magical power, but I'm hardly a monster, you know?"

"Of course, of course," Narumi replied, taking a sip of her tea. "This tea is lovely, too. I'm surprised you would go to all this effort."

Alice smiled, clearly pleased with herself. "A good performance is always worth the effort." She took a sip of her tea, then continued. "As enjoyable as an afternoon tea party is, I did actually invite you here for a specific reason."

Narumi tilted her head inquisitively. "What's that?"

Alice placed her tea on the table. "Simply put, I'm interested in you."

"H-huh???" Narumi exclaimed. She felt a blush appear on her cheeks.

"You specialize in life force magic, right?" Alice continued.

"Ah- Yes, I certainly do."

"Good, good." Alice locked her fingers together. "You see, I'm hoping to pick your brain to help on a... longtime personal project of mine."

Narumi's eyebrows raised. "Oh? Do go on."

"I have an ultimate goal to my doll studies: I hope someday to make a fully autonomous doll, one that can completely move and think on its own."

Narumi's brow furrowed. "Do these dolls... not move on their own?"

Alice chuckled lightly. "No, these are entirely under my direct control at all times." As if to demonstrate, she moved a finger, and one of her dolls landed on the table and waved at Narumi.

Suddenly realizing that Alice was somehow controlling every single doll to perform distinct tasks all over her home at the same time, Narumi's jaw dropped. "Wh- but- how- that's amazing!"

Alice smiled proudly again. "Thank you. As a puppeteer, I am quite happy with where I've ended up. I feel like my progress as a magician has much further to go, however."

Narumi grinned. "At any rate, this sounds like a very interesting project. I'd love to do whatever I can to help!"

Alice leaned her head on her hand. "How about you start by telling me about your approach to magic, or your history with it? Magic is a very personal thing, after all; no two magicians practice it quite the same way."

"Well, as you know I'm a jizo brought to life by the Forest of Magic. As simple as it may sound, for as long as I can remember I've been deeply curious about the forces that allowed me to live at all. So, in the end, I study to become closer to myself."

"Makes sense," Alice said after another sip of tea. "Certainly not the path one would expect from a jizo, though."

"You're telling me," Narumi sighed, leaning back. "Could you imagine? Me, judging people's sins? Going around lecturing people on how to avoid going to Hell?" She giggled. "I respect Miss Shiki's work, but it's not the life for me."

"I see, I see," said Alice. "So what kind of things have you learned?"

Narumi grinned. "How about I show you?"

She took a breath, and put her hands together. The gathering of magical energy was palpable, and Alice raised an eyebrow. Narumi mumbled something under her breath, and a glowing orb materialized in the air in front of her. It was slightly red, and almost fuzzy around the edges, as if it wasn't in focus. It began to change shape, and after a few seconds Alice realized it had become a small humanoid, with a defined head, two arms, and two legs. It stood on the table for a moment, then started walking forward. Eventually, it stopped in front of Alice's dolls and extended one arm in front of it. It paused there. Alice blinked, puzzled, until she realized what it wanted. She moved a finger, just barely, and the doll reached forward.

The doll and the magical construct shook hands.

After this, the small human-shaped cloud of magic faded.

"How's that?" Narumi said with a contented smile and a wink, before she noticed Alice staring intently at the spot where the magic once stood, brow furrowed. "Is something wrong?"

"Curious..." Alice looked up at Narumi. "That was a highly complex construct, yet you used no base, no catalyst, and as far as I can tell, an incredibly simple incantation. What's your secret?"

"Oh! Well, THAT is something very interesting indeed!" Narumi's eyes lit up. "I'm sure you already know this, but on its most basic level, magic as we perform it is simply the will of the user combined with their latent energy and unleashed as nearly pure energy. Using incantations, catalysts, potions, rituals, and other strategies, we convert that into something much more specific or directed." She thought a moment. "...Or a little more specific or directed if your name's Marisa."

Alice chuckled at the comment about their mutual friend. "Right, right."

"But it turns out, with the right mental focus, the will itself can be shaped directly to perform actions AFTER it manifests without the need for outside influence."

Alice blinked. "Are you saying that you can simply 'think' magic into the form you desire?"

"Well, it sounds very easy when you put it that way, but it's taken me a lot of effort to get to this point. Still, it is indeed a remarkably simple process once you understand exactly how your thoughts interact with your energy."

Alice thought for a moment, then spoke. "I want to try."

Narumi tilted her head. "Right now?"

"Yes. I believe I have a doll that I have not enchanted yet; perhaps I could fill it with this sort of will instead."

One of Alice's dolls floated out of the room, then returned a few seconds later carrying another doll, this one limp and lifeless. It placed it on the table in front of Alice, and then stepped back.

"Focus on what you want it to do, and let the energy flow," Narumi said.

Alice put a hand forward, facing the doll. She took a breath.

After a few seconds of silence, magical energy tinged the air once again.

Nothing.

Then...

The doll began to float upwards slightly.

Slowly, slowly, it rose up.

Then, suddenly, its limbs twisted in all different directions. It twitched erratically in the air for a second before slamming into the table. It moved no more after that.

Alice frowned, but before she could say anything, she noticed Narumi grinning from ear to ear.

"Wow, was that really your first try? That was amazing!" Narumi exclaimed.

"I'm sorry?" said Alice, confused.

"Most people who try this for the first time aren't able to keep the magic the cast from immediately exploding into simple kinetic force. You must have excellent control. I guess it's not surprising, considering how well you handle those dolls."

"Hmm," Alice grumbled. "Still, it seems like I wasn't able to properly influence it."

"It takes a very clear mind to be able to fully control magical will. It's likely your thoughts were too active. Most people's are."

"Curious indeed. Any suggestions?"

"Meditation, of course." Narumi thought a moment. "Have you considered visiting the temple? I haven't been there, but I'm sure that youkai monk would be happy to help with meditation techniques."

Alice frowned. "I try to stay away from religious institutions. Had a few bad experiences with them back before I came to Gensokyo. I know that the Myouren Temple likely wouldn't harbor the same prejudices, but I don't think I'd be able to focus with those memories on my mind."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Narumi said. "I've heard that a lot of magicians ran into that kind of problem in the outside world." She picked up her cup to finish her tea.

"Actually, most of them just hated that I'm a lesbian," Alice said.

Narumi nearly spat out her drink. "Ah, yes, I'd heard of that too. Sorry for laughing, I just wasn't expecting you to say that."

"I mean, honestly," Alice continued, "it's hardly my fault that that pastor's wife enjoyed her time with me so much more than she did with him."

Narumi laughed harder. "Is that another one of your jokes, or did that really happen?"

Alice smiled that unreadable smile again. "Who can say?"

Narumi stuck out her tongue. "Fine then. Keep your secrets."

Alice laughed. "At any rate, perhaps in the future you could come by and help teach me? I can't say I've done much meditation before, so having someone I know to guide me would be a great help."

"Oh, I could totally do that! Maybe I'll bring some notes by, too, so we can compare research. Though..." Narumi trailed off.

"What is it?" Alice asked.

"I can make straightforward magical golems, like the one I showed you earlier, but a lot of my higher-level work on the subject of living magic is purely theoretical. I hope that's okay."

"I'm sure it's fine. Is there any particular thing stopping you?" Alice asked.

"Well, it's just that... bringing life into the world is, at the end of the day, a big responsibility. If you think about it, it's like having a child, and I'm definitely not ready for something like that." Narumi chuckled. "I mean, I'm not even married!"

"Surprising," Alice said. "You're quite the catch."

Narumi immediately felt a blush coming on. "...Another joke?"

"Absolutely not," Alice said. Once again, the inscrutable smile.

Narumi found herself silent. Was Alice... flirting with her? Nobody really flirted with her before. Well, except Marisa, once, but that's hardly a unique occurrence.

As Narumi's cheeks continued to burn, she realized she didn't dislike the idea. She'd enjoyed talking with Alice, and she already had been invited to visit again. If nothing else, she'd be quite happy to spend more time with the dollmaker.

Suddenly, the moment was interrupted by a loud, rough knock at the door.

Narumi looked at Alice. "Did you invite someone else?"

Alice sighed, smiling. "No, I did not, which means I can be pretty sure of who this is."

Narumi heard the door open and turned to see the visitor, who immediately kicked off her boots and her unmistakably big black witch hat.

"Yo, Alice!" Marisa shouted. "And hey! Naruko's here too! Didn't know you two were pals!"

Alice turned to Narumi, looking slightly puzzled. "Isn't your name-"

"Yes, it is," Narumi interrupted, sighing with the knowledge that somehow Marisa would never get her name right.

Alice looked back at Marisa. "Anyway, Narumi here was helping me with my personal project. You know, the sentient doll?"

Marisa whistled. "You're real determined to get that done. Mighty impressive of ya, I'd say." She smirked. "Course, that won't help you beat me."

Alice smiled. "Of course it won't. After all, that would imply I need help doing that."

"Ooh! Are you gonna take that, Marisa?" Narumi asked, grinning.

"Oh man, sounds like Alice is getting a big head again! Maybe I shouldn't let that slide!" Marisa said, laughing.

The three magicians continued to talk and banter into the late afternoon, and Narumi decided that getting a letter from a doll was perhaps the best thing that had happened to her in a while.

**Author's Note:**

> The concepts of how magic works here are basically just headcanon; don't take them too seriously.
> 
> This was my first time writing Alice, and I think she's a lot of fun! I really enjoy her dry wit. Narumi is also new to me; she's pretty light on official material, sadly, but her conversation in Curiosities of Lotus Asia helped me get a better picture of her.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
